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Student scholars from across Michigan meet at WMU

March 3, 2008

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University will host the 2008 annual conference and meeting of the Michigan Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters Thursday and Friday, March 6-7.

This is the first time in 15 years that WMU has hosted MASAL's annual gathering. The public is invited to attend at a cost of $95. The fee for MASAL members and students varies. Those interested in attending may register in the lobby of Schneider Hall beginning at 7:30 a.m. Friday.

"The appeal of this conference is that it brings scholars together from such a wide range of disciplines and areas of research, and it draws many people who aren't in academia," says Dr. Gregory Veeck, a WMU professor of geography and longtime chair of MASAL's geography section who is coordinating the event.

"At many national professional meetings, it's cheek-to-jowl presentations on the same subject. But at this gathering, you get to move around and listen to papers outside your field. And because there's a discussion after every paper, you can participate in the dynamic exchange of ideas."

More than 450 faculty and student scholars from 27 of MASAL's member colleges and universities are expected to present papers during the conference. The papers will be presented in 33 concurrent sessions and encompass 26 disciplines--literally administration to zoology.

The conference will open with a reception in WMU's new Richmond Center for Visual Arts from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The academic sessions will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in Schneider Hall.

MASAL, founded in 1894, is a professional organization dedicated to broad cross-disciplinary scholarly exchange among educators, students, and business and government researchers.

Go to www.alma.edu/michiganacademy to obtain registration and detailed program information about the Michigan Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters annual conference. For additional details, contact Gregory Veeck at gregory.veeck@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3420.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

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